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Digital trade

World Trade Report 2020 – Government policies to promote innovation in the digital age


Published 09 March 2021 | 1 minute read

The annual publication looks at the policies aimed at supporting the transition towards a digital economy and how trade and the WTO fit with them.

The World Trade Report 2020 shows that international cooperation can play a significant role in making the pursuit of digital development and technological innovation more effective, while minimizing negative spill-overs from national policies.

The WTO agreements, reached a quarter of a century ago, have proved to be remarkably forward-looking in providing a framework that has favored the development of ICT-enabled economies across all levels of development. Further international cooperation at the WTO and elsewhere would enable continued innovation and reduce trade tensions, helping international markets function more predictably.

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The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

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